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The solution is indeed very original, but the precursor of this kind was not Chekhover. In 1924, Simkowitsch composed the following problem (White to play and draw):

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In the site http://membres.lycos.fr/albillo/aje... it is said that this problem was tested with different programs, and after hours of study not even one of them could find the answer, in spite of the fact that the solution involves only two moves!!

Here's another (1956) a bit more difficult, but with a lovely theme: the white Knight alone blockades the Pawn and imprisons Black's minor pieces. With this clue and the concept of distant opposition, it could be resolved.

White to play and draw:

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White to play and draw:

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1.♗d4 f3! 2.g3!! h3! 3.♔b4!! h2 4.♔a3 h1♕ 5.♔b2

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1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 d6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Qxd4

The most common continuation is:

4. Nc6
5.Bb5 Bd7
6.Bxc6 Bxc6

Soviet chess player and chess composer, furthermore also a pianist.

Bio (in English): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitaly...

Bio (in German): http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witali...

Sicilian Chekhover by Bobby Ang..

Sicilian Chekhover
64th Russian Championship Higher League
June 15-26, 2011
Taganrog, Russia

Final Standings

1. GM Alexander Morozevich 2694, 8.0/11

2-3. GM Artyom Timofeev 2665, GM Alexander Galkin 2598, 7.5/11

4-12. GM Evgeny Tomashevsky 2707, GM Sanan Sjugirov 2629, GM Maxim Matlakov 2632, GM Ernesto Inarkiev 2679, GM Sergey Volkov 2615, GM Vadim Zvjaginsev 2659, GM Boris Grachev 2669, GM Sergei Rublevsky 2682, GM Vladimir Fedoseev 2506, 7.0/11

Total of 62 participants

The Sicilian Chekhover (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4) is considered an Anti-Sicilian weapon, and it is quite an annoying weapon to face, as it is not without its dangers for Black. The main point is that if the queen is attacked by ...Nc6 then it can be pinned with Bb5.

After 4...Nc6 5 Bb5 Bd7 6 Bxc6 Bxc6 7 Nc3 Nf6 8 Bg5 a sharp, opposite-side castling situation usually arises in which Black really must know what he’s doing. Some players have tried to avoid such a scenario with 4...a6 or 4...Bd7, but that entails allowing a Maróczy Bind with 5 c4.

The first reaction from a well-booked player is that 4.Qxd4 is bad on positional grounds, as it exposes the queen. Well, yes, maybe if you were a 2600+ GM, but for ordinary players like you and me my experience is that putting your queen in the center is a good idea -- from there it can switch action from queenside to kingside and vice versa and create threats all over the board. My advice is that whenever you can put your queen in the center without it being attacked right away, you should do it.

The English IM Chris Baker wrote a book for Cadogan in 1998 called A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire for the White player. You should be wary, of course, of extravagant claims in chess titles. For example the book on David Bronstein’s “Secret Notes” refer to his travel notes, stories during his trips abroad, which country he liked, etc etc, and had hardly anything to do with chess analysis. The choices prescribed by Chris Baker, though, was really quite interesting. For example against the Petroff 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 he recommends that we play the Cochrane Gambit with 4.Nxf7!? Against the Sicilian he suggests 4.Qxd4.

Surprisingly, GM Boris Alterman’s Gambit Guide published in March 2010 also advocates the use of the Cochrane Gambit. With the trend in recent times to speed up time controls, these Gambits and Anti-Sicilians will definitely be played more and more.

Here is the latest brilliancy in the Chekhover:

Kryakvin, Dmitry (2551) -- Khismatullin, Denis (2656) [B53]

64th ch-RUS HL Taganrog RUS (8), 23.06.2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4

Many years ago the Garma brothers (Chito and Edgar) specialized in this move, I don’t know why they gave it up but it was not because of their results!

4...Nf6

This is an opening subtlety. The usual continuation here is 4...Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Bg5 where we get the same position as in the game after White’s 8th move. Khismatullin’s point of playing 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 first is to avoid the possibility of White’s playing 7.c4 instead of 7.Nc3 in the main move order.

5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Bxc6 Bxc6 8.Bg5 e6 9.0-0-0 Be7 10.Qd3

10...Qa5 11.Bd2 Qc7 12.Nd4 0-0 13.f4 Rfc8 14.g4 Nxg4?

Khismatullin is known as a fine defender, and basically waves a red flag in front of his opponent with this move. Safer would be to play 14...Be8 15.g5 Nd7 with chances for both sides.

15.Rhg1 Nf6

Of course not 15...Nf2? 16.Qg3!

16.f5! <D>

Position after 16.f5

16...e5 17.Bh6! Bf8

[17...exd4 is met by 18.Bxg7 dxc3 19.Bh6+ Kh8 20.Qg3 cxb2+ 21.Kb1 Nh5 22.Bg7+ Kg8 23.Qg4 Nf4 24.Bxb2+ (Please do not fall for 24.Qxf4? Ba4! when White must bail out to perpetual check) 24...Ng6 25.fxg6 fxg6 (25...hxg6 26.Qh5!) 26.Qe6+ Kf8 27.Rgf1+ Ke8 28.e5! The Black King is doomed.

18.Rxg7+! Bxg7

Quietly moving the king won’t work either: 18...Kh8 19.Rdg1 exd4 20.Qg3 mate coming up.

19.Rg1

[19.Qg3? Nh5!]

19...Nh5 20.Bxg7 exd4

[20...Nxg7 21.f6 Qd8 22.Rxg7+ Kh8 (22...Kf8 23.Rg8+! Kxg8 24.Qg3+ Kf8 25.Qg7+ Ke8 26.Qg8+ Kd7 27.Qxf7+ Qe7 28.Qxe7#) 23.Qh3 the end]

21.Bxd4+ Kf8 22.Qh3 Ke7 23.Qxh5 Rf8 24.e5! Rad8

The reply to 24...dxe5 is 25.Bc5+ Ke8 (25...Kd7 26.Rd1+ Ke8 27.Qh6 Rg8 28.Qxh7 Rf8 29.Qg7) 26.Bxf8 Kxf8 27.Qxh7 the attack is winning.

25.exd6+ Rxd6 26.Bc5 Qa5

[26...Rfd8 27.f6+! Kd7 (27...Kf8 28.Qg4 Ke8 29.Re1+ etc) 28.Bxd6 Kxd6 29.Rd1+ Ke6 30.Re1+ Kd6 31.Qe5+ Kd7 32.Qf5+ Kd6 33.Rd1+]

27.Bxd6+ Kxd6 28.Qh6+ 1-0

And Black resigned because he is losing the rook on f8.

One question that I frequently come across is why Black can’t immediately transpose to an ending with the two bishops with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Qa5+ 6.Nc3 Qxb5 7.Nxb5 Nxd4 8.Nfxd4.My experience with this, and I have played literally hundreds of games against this treatment, is that White’s better development and space advantage give him the edge. There has been a recent game which confirms this thesis.

Zhigalko, Sergei (2668) -- Tihonov, Jurij (2472) [B53]

76th ch-BLR Minsk BLR (6), 17.01.2010

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Qa5+?!

Surprisingly, this maneuver comes up a lot. But that is ok, because I think white gets a superior ending which even I with my poor endgame skills wins a majority of the time.

6.Nc3 Qxb5 7.Nxb5 Nxd4 8.Nfxd4

Black has to move his king.

8...Kd8

Zhigalko has made a good living from this line. Take a look: 8...Kd7 one example: 9.c4 g6 10.f3 a6 11.Nc3 e6 12.Be3 Kc7 13.a4 Bd7 14.a5 Rc8 15.Na4 Bxa4 16.Rxa4 Nf6 17.Ke2 Nd7 18.b4 Bg7 19.b5 Nc5 20.Rb4 Rhe8 21.Rd1 Be5 22.g3 h5 23.bxa6 bxa6 24.Nb3 Nxb3 25.Rxb3 Rb8 26.Bb6+ Kc6 27.Rbd3 g5 28.Ke3 White is already winning. Zhigalko, S (2562) -- Aulin Jansson, J (2279)/ Kemer 2007 1-0 (35).

9.c4 Nf6 10.f3 Bd7

Look it up in Megabase 2011: White has a 100% score in the line after 10...a6 -- it weakens the b6 square. Here is a sample: 11.Nc3 e6 12.a4 Bd7 13.b3 Rc8 14.Bb2 Be7 15.0-0-0!? Kc7 16.Ba3 Rhe8 17.Kb2 White will slowly build up the position. Degraeve, J. (2530) -- Vachier Lagrave, M. (2458)/ France (ch) 2004 1-0 (35).

11.Bd2 e5?!

Black tries to open up the position so that his two bishops will count.

12.Ne2 Bxb5 13.cxb5 h6

White was intending Bg5xf6 followed by Ne2-c3-d5, so Black prevents it right away.

14.0-0-0 Be7 15.Bc3!? Kc7 16.Rd3 Kb6 17.a4 a6?! 18.bxa6 bxa6 19.Bb4 Rhc8+ 20.Nc3 Rc6 21.Rhd1 Kc7 22.Kb1 Rb8 23.Ba3 Bf8 24.a5 Kd7 25.Na2!

A typical knight maneuver here -- the steed wants to go to b4 to attack the a6-pawn.

25...Ra8 26.Nb4 Rcc8 27.Nd5 Nxd5 28.Rxd5

Black loses a pawn.

28...Rc6 29.Rxe5 Rac8 30.Red5 Ke6 31.f4 g6 32.g4 Rc4 33.Bxd6 Rxe4 34.Bxf8 Rxf8 35.Rd6+ Ke7 36.f5 Rb8

[36...Rxg4?? 37.f6+ Ke8 38.Rd8#]

37.f6+ Ke8 38.Rxa6 Rxg4 39.Rb6 1-0

So what are you waiting for? Try the Sicilian Chekhover!

Reader comments/suggestions are solicited. E-mail address is bangcpa@gmail.com

Qualification (master) match vs Kasparian-